LARKANA, March 15: The Sindh government is actively considering a proposal to recruit 1,600 policemen for deployment in the Qambar-Shahdadkot area bordering Balochistan to curb criminals.

Talking to journalists here on Tuesday, the Regional Police Officer (RPO) of Sukkur Range, Zulfikar Ali Shah, said: “We have submitted a proposal to the government which currently was busy studying its pros and cons”. He hoped the proposal would be accepted and incorporated in the next budget.

He said that a border force was efficiently performing in Jacobabad district, and the new deployment in Qambar-Shahdadkot would bring down the crime rate considerably.

The matter was discussed at the highest level and President Asif Ali Zardari had been kept informed about it, the RPO said.

He said the matter of shortage of police personnel and weapons had been taken up at a higher level.

Despite resource constraints, he said, police had launched a 60-day anti-robbery operation in Qambar and Larkana and killed four robbers---- Ramzan Mughairi alias Jeet, Rashid Mughairi, Deedar alias Deedo and Mashooque Mughairi.

More than 50 criminals involved in heinous crimes and with 500 absconders and 100 proclaimed offenders were arrested in Larkana district.

Answering a question, the RPO said hat police personnel were being sent for regular trainings but more trainings were to be arranged.

About the security of police malkhans, he said that an inspection team constituted for the purpose was regularly visiting the arsenals to check if the seized weapons were there.

Although he did not divulge the number of cases of missing weapons from malkhanas detected so far, he said that many such cases had been taken up and munshis of police stations had been punished and even dismissed.

He said 100 traffic wardens would soon be recruited for Larkana and all illegal wagons, min-bus stands would be shifted from city to reduce traffic congestion.

Close-circuit cameras would be installed in Larkana at a cost of Rs 10 million, the RPO said.

DIG: The Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Larkana Range, Din Mohammad Baloch, said that over the past three years, a strong force of about 10,000 personnel had been recruited and after two and half months of special elite force training they were deployed in different districts.

He held a meeting with the members of the Larkana Chamber of Commerce and Industry (LCCI) in which traders called for immediate setting up of police posts to check vehicles entering the city and check criminals’ movements.

The traders called for an increase in police patrolling on Larkana-Khairpur Bridge from Khairpur side.

Aslam Shaikh, chairman of the law and order committee of LCCI, regretted that 20 motorcycles promised for Larkana police by the Sindh chief minister had not been received yet, and promised that the LCCI would donate five motorcycles.